GARNET CROW premium live Rehearsal Report

〜happy 5th annyversary〜

Rehearsal Report!!

This year, with GARNET CROW celebrating the fifth anniversary of their debut, a series of fifth-anniversary projects has been unfolding. The premium live show that will close out those projects will be held on December 16 and 17 at the Central Public Hall in Nakanoshima, Osaka City. This time, we took a brief look at rehearsals for that live show. (TEXT BY SAI SAIDA)

■November 21 (Tue.) Rehearsal Day <Day 1>

On this day, three members other than vocalist Yuri Nakamura gathered in the rehearsal studio, along with the familiar tour support members: Yoshinobu Oga (G), Yuichiro Iwai (AG), Masato Ohashi (B), and David C. Brown (Dr). In an easygoing mood, with well-known companions coming together again, rehearsal began.

First, they used “Mysterious Eyes” for a sound check that also served as a warm-up. As they played, each member adjusted the volume and balance of their monitors. After playing through it once, they gave sound instructions to the production team on a request basis; perhaps because this was also the usual lineup, communication was smooth.

Rehearsal that day was about getting a handle on each song, so they ran through things roughly, then played each song from the opening number twice. What surprised me was that even on the first day, the set list had already been formed to a certain extent. Looking at it, the lavish song selection made anticipation for the live show itself grow.

As for the performance, the familiar band members were exactly as strong as expected. With a combination so sure it was hard to believe they had been away from this for a while, they were already producing a thoroughly convincing sound on day one. From here, they would keep making fine adjustments and refine the performance toward something perfect for the live show. There were no exaggerated conversations among the members; rehearsal proceeded calmly. With a quiet sense of motion, the first day of rehearsal came to an end.

■November 24 (Thu.) Rehearsal Day <Day 2>

Rehearsal on this day began with a number that would be performed in the middle of the live show, one with a beautiful piano tone. Today, too, things started in the same quiet atmosphere, though there was also a considerable amount of detailed back-and-forth about the sound...

The person in the director’s role was keyboardist Hirohito Furui. He concisely explained to the members the flow and direction of the live arrangement. Listening to their exchanges, it seemed that even performances that, at a quick listen, sounded no different from the originals had in fact been changed in minute detail into live-show specifications. “Just now, everyone’s accent points were fuzzy, so let’s keep those points in mind and bring out more of a push.” Furui had a complete grasp of each song as a whole, and while gathering each member’s opinions, he organized the overall flow of the sound.

The rhythm section tried aligning their break points, while the guitar team exchanged short comments about tone and ensemble, gradually getting hold of the image of the finished sound. Hitoshi Okamoto plucked at his guitar with his head lowered. AZUKI Nana let the piano tone ring out with a quiet presence.

The tight performance unfolding within a process where nothing was made exaggerated was exactly the image of GARNET CROW as a professional group. It was a prelude toward the dramatic performance to come. There were still several more rehearsals ahead. When Yuri Nakamura’s vocals and the chorus team are added to this sound and it is complete, what kind of sound will ring out? The first two rehearsals were still not enough to grasp all the details, but judging from the current state and content of the sound, it is certain to delight the audience gathered there. Please look forward to next month’s report on the actual live show.

*Please check the magazine pages for valuable rehearsal photos and member comments!

GARNET CROW

New Single

“晴れ時計”

2005.11.23 Release

GIZA studio

GZCA-4055 ¥1,260 (tax in)